Steve Sykes obituary

 Sometimes you come across something and think 'was he'? MSN today listed the obituary of Steve Sykes and it has left me with one of those moments...

Is it the Steve Sykes I knew?

An explanation. 

In the early 70's I was a Cloggie. Cloggies is the term used to describe anyone doing Colour Chemistry at Bradford University. While there I started a wargames club, membership including the likes of Pete Harris. Later, Pete was quite well known in the hobby - he wrote the Tercio set of rules used for a number of years at the Nationals. Pete got friendly with someone called... Steve Sykes. Steve was in the Roundheads Association - specifically, Sir John Lambert's Regiment, which Pete took up with a lot of enthusiasm (he started a Roundheads Association club at Bradford).  Can't pretend I knew Steve all that well, but the photo in the obituary could be him... and says that he did Colour Chemistry at Bradford two years ahead of me. Funny thing is the topic never came up so I honestly don't know if the Steve I knew was a Cloggie...

And the profile in the obituary doesn't mention an interest in Roundheads so...

Whatever.

It certainly means that I have 'lost' a fellow Cloggie, probably a fellow acquaintance (can't claim friend), and possibly the hobby has lost an ex wargamer (Steve did get involved in the hobby to a certain extent).

So I think it is appropriate to offer my condolences and best wishes to his family. He joins a growing list of deceased wargamers/Uni contemporaries of mine - perhaps he's met up with Alan Cook and Ian Beck and they're discussing old times...